


Two Sides of the Same Coin

by TetsuwanPenguin



Category: Black Jack (Anime & Manga), Tetsuwan Atom | Astro Boy
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-04-27
Updated: 2014-04-29
Packaged: 2018-01-21 00:39:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,150
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1531661
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TetsuwanPenguin/pseuds/TetsuwanPenguin
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>My own head canon of the origin of Atlas.  Based on two fan fiction works alread posted on FF.NET.  This will be an expanded version of one of them.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prequel

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Black Jack introduces the story shortly after coming home from a hard day's work.

0\. Prequel

Dr. Black Jack opened the door to the house and stepped inside.  He removed his cloak and hung it on a hook on a rack stand by the doorway.  He removed his shoes and socks, and stepped into a pair of zōri sandals which he kept by the door.  Kūro then loosened his tie and plopped down into his favorite easy chair.  He picked up his pipe from the bowl on the short table next to the chair, and he picked up the pouch of tobacco lying next to it.  Black Jack carefully stuffed a small amount of  the shag into the bowl of the pipe, and lit it using a wooden match.  Holding the pipe in his left hand, he put the stem into his mouth and took a small drag, removing the pipe to exhale through his mouth.

Pinoko wandered into the living room where her guardian sat.  She knew that  Kūro usually only resorted to the pipe when he needed to unwind from a particularly troubling day, much like a famous fictional detective resorted to his when he needed to think deeply.  She could see from the lines formed by his facial muscles that Sensei had had a long and difficult day's work.

“It  usually helps to tell someone your troubles.” Pinoko blurted out.  “What's troubling you?”

“Nothing.” Black Jack said.

“Then why are you schmoking?” Pinoko insisted. “You only do that when you need to unwind.”

“You know me too well.”  Kūro sighed. “Why don't you get dinner ready, and I'll tell you all about it after we eat.”

“Dinner is almost ready, Can't you smell it?” Pinoko replied.

“Yes, of course.” Black Jack responded.

Pinoko walked back into the kitchen.  She stood on the high stool that was propped up next to the stove and stirred a large pot of steaming curried beef.  On a neighboring burner a pot of rice was almost done, she inserted a spoon and withdrew a small sample to taste, and nodded to herself.  A tea kettle on the back burner started to whistle, Pinoko grabbed it with an oven mitt and carried it to the table, placing it on a bamboo mat.  She then poured the boiling water into a tea pot that was already on the table and dropped several bags of green tea into the pot.  Pinoko returned to the stove and shut down the burners.  She spent the next few minutes spooning out the rice and curried beef onto two plates, giving Sensei the lion's share of the food.  She carried both plates to the table and set them down carefully.

“SENSEI!” she yelled at the top of her lungs. “DINNER'S READY!”

Black Jack tapped the pipe against the bowl to knock the remaining tobacco ashes out and set the pipe back in its place.  He lifted himself out of the chair using his arms, pressing his hands against the chair arms to lift himself up.  He was tired.  He entered the kitchen area and saw Pinoko already seated at the small table, steaming hot food sat waiting for them.  
“Thank you, Pinoko.” he said as he sat down.  Pinoko waited for Black Jack to pick up his chopsticks before she reached for hers.  They ate silently, Pinoko pouring fresh tea for Black Jack when he emptied his cup.  

Pinoko finished loading the dishwasher.  It was now full, having yesterday's breakfast and dinner dishes as well as today's, as well as about a dozen parfait dishes.  She added the detergent, closed the door, and pressed the start button.  With the kitchen all cleaned up from dinner, she looked for Black Jack.

Kūro was in his office cleaning up.  He noticed Pinoko out of the corner of his eye.  
“Sit down, Pinoko”

“Are you going to tell Pinoko what's bothering you, Sensei?”

“Yes, if you  insist.” He said. “I have to warn you the story might be a bit disturbing, and it involves the  brother of a friend of yours.”

“Who?” Pinoko asked.

“Uran.” Kūro said.  “I know you and her talk and text all the time on your phones. This involves Atomu.  I've kept part of this story to myself for many years, but just today I became aware of its aftermath.” Black Jack paused for a moment as he tried to think of where to start.  
“You're sure you want to hear this now?”

“Yes.”

“Very well ….”


	2. Tobio

 

Black Jack sat down behind his desk.  He reached behind and opened the door to a small refrigerator he kept in his office and removed a small bottle of sake.  He poured a small amount of the rice wine into a paper cup and took a sip.  After placing the cup down on the desk, he took a deep breath and began.

“Do you know how Atomu was born?” he asked.

“Uran told me he was made by a Dr. Tenma at the Ministry of Science.” Pinoko replied.

“Yes, but do you know why Atomu was created, and do you realize that his A.I. is based on the memories and mind of a real boy?”

“No, Pinoko doesn't know that.”

“Dr. Tenma had a nine year old son named Tobio.” Kūro told her. “Tobio was fatally injured in a traffic accident while he was riding a hoverbike.  At the time, I was still working with the Metro City General Hospital with a Dr. Tezuka who was a good friend of mine from medical school.  I had already began experimenting with advanced new methods of healing, including the use of certain herbal drugs.”

“Didn't you lose your medical license because you used something like that on a patient against the law?” Pinoko interrupted.

“Not exactly against the law, but without approval from the hospital and the JMA.” Black Jack replied.  “Please don't interrupt again, this story is going to be long enough.”

“OK”

“Very well.” Kūro continued. “I was the low man on the totem pole at the hospital, so I often worked with paramedics on ambulance duty.  I was doing so the day that Tobo had his accident, and I was first on the scene giving him medical attention.  He was very badly injured with severe brain trauma.    While Tobio lay in the ICU Dr. Tenma had brought in some apparatus to download whatever memories of Tobio that he could.  He later incorporated that data in Atom's AI.”

“So Atomu remembers being Tobio?” Pinoko asked.

“I don't know.  He probably has some of Tobio's mind buried deep down in his subconscious.  I really don't know how robot brains actually work.”

Black Jack paused to take another sip of the sake.  He emptied the cup, and poured himself some more from the bottle.  
“Dr. Tezuka declared Tobio brain dead the next day.  Tobio's heart continued beating, and he was still breathing with the aid of a respirator,  it was his brain that had stopped functioning.   There isn't much you can do to revive damaged brain tissue, once the brain starts to die, it cannot heal itself.  However, I had been experimenting with a herbal drug that had shown some promise in reversing brain damage in higher primates, but had not yet been tested on humans.  I decided to experiment on Tobio.  I switched bodies in the morgue and had Tobio brought to the private clinic I had just started setting up.  It was there that I began the experimental treatment using my new drug.”

“You mean Tobio's not buried in his grave?” Pinoko said with a shock on her face.

“Dr. Tenma had his son's remains cremated.” Black Jack answered.  “So he never discovered the switch.”

“So you got away with it.”

“I told you not to interrupt, Pinoko.” Black Jack said. “Yes, I did.  Anyway, the drug slowly started to work.  I was able to remove the boy from the respirator, and his EEG readings returned to near normal.    Tobio slowly came out of the coma he had been in for several months.  It was only then that I realized the drug had a serious side effect.  It enabled the damaged neurons in the brain to repair and replace themselves, but all synaptic connections had been erased.  Tobio awoke with no memories of his life at all.  I had to treat him like a new born babe, he had to learn everything he had ever known since birth all over again.”

“ Acchonburike !” Pinoko cried out.

“By this time, Dr. Tenma had already built Atomu to replace Tobio, and had gone insane.  Dr. Ochanomizu had replaced Tenma as the head of the Ministry of Science.  It would be a few years before Tenma surfaced again.  Meanwhile I had a problem on my hands, what to do with the boy who had no memory.”


	3. Daichi

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The events that transpired when Tobio became Daichi

 

The time was several years ago.  Dr. Blackjack sat at the desk in his office, there was a former patient of his seated in a large chair on the opposite side of the doctors desk.   Daiki Tokugawa was a strong man of small stature.  Despite his lack of height, he was a giant in the business world, having created one of the largest industrial companies  in the country.   Daiki and his wife had tried to have a child for several years without any luck.  They had consulted with Dr. Blackjack to be tested for possible problems of sterility. The doctor had diagnosed his poor wife with advanced terminal cancer and she had died within a short time after that.   Daiki Tokugawa had returned to the doctor's office after Blackjack had called him with some news. 

“I'm sorry for your loss,” Blackjack said, “and I know you wanted an heir to take on your family name.  Have you considered adopting?”

Tokugawa scratched his chin.  
“Actually, until you just mentioned it, I hadn't.” Daiki said. “That's actually a very good idea, taking care of an adopted son would take my mind off of my grief.  However, I don't understand why you called me here to suggest the idea unless you had something specific in mind.”

“Yes I do,” the doctor admitted.  I have a nine year old boy patient recovering from a near fatal accident in my clinic right now.  He's going to need a new home and family.  While I can't reveal the boy's past to you, I can give you some basic background.  The boy was declared legally brain dead following an accident.  I was able to revive him with an experimental drug, but at the cost of total memory loss.  He's  going to have to start his life anew, and form new memories and family ties.  Knowing his father, I am certain that he won't accept the boy back into his life in this condition. It's probably better to let him believe that his son is actually dead.”

“Can I see him, doctor?” Tokugawa asked.

“Not at this time.”  Blackjack replied. “His skull was fractured in the accident and he still requires more reconstructive surgery, especially on his face.    I'm still going to have to perform a skin graft on his scalp, and repair his facial features.  I can change his appearance at this time to have him favor you.  I should be able to find a suitable skin donor so that his hair would  grow in a dark red like yours, instead of his previous brown.”

Tokugawa nodded in understanding.  
“Yes, I'd like that.”

“In that case, I'll get in touch with you again after I've performed the final surgeries and the boy is able  to receive visitors for the first time.” Blackjack replied.  “I think it will be in a month or two.”

 

The boy opened his eyes  for the first time.  His  vision was still blurry, and he was still very groggy from the drugs that still had yet to wear off.  He was lying in a hospital bed somewhere.  His face was wrapped in several layers of bandages, but openings for his eyes, nose and mouth had been cut into the gauze.  The reset of his body was either bandaged or encased in casts.  It would be obvious to anybody that he had been in a near fatal accident.  He had been through several surgeries, and had the bones in his arms and legs set to heal after they had been fractured.  His face had been reconstructed.  A feeding tube had been inserted through his nose leading directly into his stomach.  Several IV lines were dripping fluids into his veins.  He was now breathing on his own, but still had an oxygen mask over his mouth and nose.

The doctor entered his room, smiling.  The readings on the medical monitors had indicated the boy's level of consciousness, and from his office the doctor had been remotely alerted to his condition.  The boy saw the doctor enter the room, though he could still not make out fine details though the blurry haze of his vision. 

“Ah you're awake!” The doctor said.  “You'll be glad to know that we can remove your bandages shortly.  It seems that most of your injuries have healed.  Do you understand me?”

He heard the doctor speak, but the words didn't make sense.  His mind was still quite foggy and his thoughts came slowly.  He didn't know what language he was thinking in.  For that matter, what language do babies think in before they have learned any language?  He had no memories of how he had gotten here or who he was.  He knew of no family or friends.  It was like he had literally just been born.  His brain had been put back together by a powerful herbal drug that regenerated the dead and dying neurons.  The new cells worked, his nervous system functioned as it did before the accident.  However, none of the synaptic connections that had existed were saved.  His mind was a blank. He was a nine year old infant.

The doctor examined him.  He listened to his breathing though the stethoscope.  He shined a penlight into the boy's eyes to watch for the reaction to the light.  He listened to his heartbeat, and looked over the EKG and EEG printouts.  The doctor seemed pleased with his work.  
“Relax son.  I'll be back in a while and then we will remove those bandages and make you more comfortable.”

The doctor injected a small syringe into a tap on one of the IV lines.  The boy felt himself drifting back to sleep.  This time it was a light sleep, and he actually dreamed.  He saw the faces of a young girl and a pleasant looking woman in his sleep.  They looked like they were familiar to him, but he had no actual memory of who they might have been.  The REM cycles came and went for several hours until the sedative wore off.

 

The boy drifted out of his sleep.  It took less time for his vision to clear, and his mind seemed a bit sharper.  He saw the doctor sitting besides his bed, and another man sitting in a chair near the foot of the bed.  The doctor picked up a scalpel and approached the boy.  
“Relax son, I'm going to remove your bandages now.”

He carefully cut at the gauze and began to unwrap it from the boy's head.  The doctor than picked up a small rotary saw and cut through the casts on the boys arms and legs.  It took about fifteen minutes for him to remove the bandages and the plaster casts.  The boy felt the air blowing on his bare skin now.  It felt cool.  

The other man at the foot of the bed got up and walked over to him.    
“Daichi?” the man said.  “I'm your father.”

The boy's eyes reflected confusion.  He still didn't understand what he was hearing, and he didn't understand where he was or how it got there.  As the calming effects of the drugs he was on began to wain, he started to feel a bit of panic.

The man pointed to him and repeated “Daichi”.  He then pointed to himself and said “Daiki.”

The boy slowly mouthed the words. “D a i c h i” he said, pointing to himself.  “D a i k i” he  voiced pointing to the man.

“Yes!  That's it.  Your name is Daichi now. Dachi Tokugawa.  We're family now.”  

“T o k u g a w a?” the boy voiced slowly, trying to smile.

“Why don't you feed you son now?” the doctor asked as he carefully removed the feeding tube from the boy's nose.  Daichi squirmed as the tube was withdrawn.  He sneezed up a little blood onto the bed sheets.

“Nothing to worry about, that's normal.” The doctor assured them.

He handed Mr. Tokugawa a bowl of warm oatmeal with milk.  Daiki Tokugawa filled a spoon from the bowl and lifted it toward the boy's mouth.  Daichi opened his mouth and took the spoon in.  The oatmeal felt good going down his throat, it was warm and soothing.  After eating a few spoonfuls the boy took the spoon into his own hand and tried to eat by himself.  While his brain didn't remember the impulses required to control his muscles to handle the spoon, the nerves in his hand and arm, along with the muscles did.  This so called “muscle memory” feed back to his brain and he quickly mastered the technique.  He ad slowly at first, filling the spoon and lifting it to find his mouth.  The cereal tasted good, and it sparked something in his mind.

“Yes, very good son!” Tokugawa said.  Father and son smiled at each other.

The boy finished the bowl of cereal.  He felt a strange growling in his stomach and a sudden pressure in his throat.  Suddenly a gas bubble deep within popped.

“BURP!”  The boy brought a hand to his mouth and a twinge of embarrassment showed as a blush on his face.

Tokugawa laughed and smiled back at him.  
“That's alright.  It shows that you're healthy now!” he said.

Dr. Blackjack spoke softly so that only Tokugawa could hear him.  
“As I had hoped, the boy does have some residual memories for language and motor skills.  You saw how quickly he  learned how to spoon feed himself.”

“Yes, I did.” Tokugawa said.  “Look Doctor, I'm very grateful to you.  Adopting this boy will give me the heir that my wife, bless her soul, never could.  My family name will live on, I can't thank you enough.”

“Actually, It is I who should thank you, Tokugawa-san.” Blackjack said.  “I had tried to save this boy's life only to discover that the miracle drug I used had a horrible side effect.  It left me with a patient who would never be able to return to his former life, his mind being a totally blank slate.  I had to find a suitable foster family for him, your needs matched up with his very nicely.”

 

 


End file.
